NYPD changes policy on high-speed chases after injuries, damage and death

NEW YORK -- New York City’s police department is curbing its use of high-speed chases after finding that about one-quarter of more than 2,200 initiated by officers last year led to a collision, property damage, physical harm or death.

A new policy effective Feb. 1 will limit vehicle pursuits to only the most serious and violent crimes, barring them for traffic infractions, violations and nonviolent misdemeanors.

Officers will also have to take into account whether a pursuit would pass through a residential neighborhood or near a school or playground, Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. They will have discretion to terminate chases if they do not feel it can be continued safely.

Last October, a bicycle rider was struck and killed by a pickup truck that police were chasing after a suspected robbery in Queens.

“The NYPD’s enforcement efforts must never put the public or the police at undue risk, and pursuits for violations and low-level crimes can be both potentially dangerous and unnecessary," Tisch said in a statement. "The advanced tools of modern-day policing make it possible to apprehend criminals more safely and effectively than ever before, making many pursuits unnecessary.”

Of 2,278 pursuits last year, about two-thirds involved a vehicle fleeing a traffic stop. Many of those would not be allowed under the new policy, the NYPD said.

The department said it will train all uniformed officers in the new policy and conduct monthly reviews to ensure it is being followed. It will also issue an annual report tracking compliance.

According to 911 data obtained by the website Streetsblog NYC, vehicle chases spiked from 15 in January 2022 to 227 in January 2024. Police made more than 100 pursuits each month from July 2023 to September 2024, the last month for which data was available, according to the site.